5 bowlers who could earn an IPL contract with a good Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 ft. Manav Suthar & Vasuki Koushik

Amidst all the home World Cup fever, India's domestic season has begun with the inter-state T20 competition, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), on Monday, October 16.

The tournament has gone from strength to strength from when Rohit Sharma became the first Indian to score a century in the SMAT 2006/07 to Mumbai winning their first title last year. The previous 15 editions have seen Tamil Nadu emerge as the most successful side with three titles.

Not far behind Tamil Nadu are their South Zone rivals - Karnataka, who have triumphed twice in 2018/19 and 2019/20. The two teams had combined to win four titles in a row before Mumbai broke through last year.

The 38 teams will battle it out in the group stages before the knockout stage, with the quarter-final, semi-final, and final on the first week of November. Apart from unearthing several new and exciting talents, the SMAT has become the ultimate stepping stone for earning IPL contracts.

With the T20 World Cup also slated to be played next year, noteworthy performances in the SMAT could go a long way in IPLfranchise and national selection for budding cricketers.

Considering that, let us look at five bowlers in the SMAT talent pool who could earn an IPL contract for next season with ground-breaking performances.

#1 Manav Suthar - Rajasthan

Suthar was a net bowler during Gujarat Titans' title run in 2022.

Young sensation Manav Suthar was a revelation for India A in the ACC Men's Emerging Asia Cup earlier this year.

Despite boasting impressive numbers in the previous Ranji season with 39 wickets in six games, the 21-year-old became a household name in India A's group stage against Pakistan A.

His 3/36 off ten overs, including the vital scalp of Pakistan A skipper Mohammad Haris and middle order batters Haseebullah Khan and Kamran Ghulam, restricted Pakistan A to a lowly 205 all-out in 48 overs.

Although India A lost to the same opponent in the summit clash, the left-arm spinner finished the tournament with an impressive ten wickets in five games at an average of less than 20 and an economy rate of 4.20.

In a Ranji Trophy game against Puducherry, Suthar scored an unbeaten 96 and picked up 11 wickets in only his fifth first-class game. The youngster also dismissed Kerala skipper Sanju Samson twice in a match during his incredible Ranji season.

With such impressive performances this year, the SMAT could be his opportunity to prove himself in the 20-over format and make his way into the most prestigious T20 league in the World. He was part of the Gujarat Titans set up as a net bowler last year.

Suthar will hope to lift Rajasthan from a middle-of-the-pack finish last season into the knockout stages.

#2 Vasuki Koushik - Karnataka

Koushik is one of the best new ball bowlers in domestic cricket.

One of the best up-and-coming pacers in the domestic circuit, Vasuki Koushik, is certainly making his case for a potential IPL contract.

An all-format medium-pacer, the 31-year-old was outstanding in the recent Duleep Trophy final, with figures of 4/36 in the final innings. Koushik's exploits helped South Zone win their 14th title by 75 runs against West Zone in a role reversal from a year ago.

The seasoned campaigner also starred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last year, finishing second in the leading wicket-takers chart with 18 scalps in nine games. Koushik helped Karnataka finish second in Group B with six wins in seven games before eventually suffering defeat in the semi-final.

Renowned for his ability to move the new ball both ways, the right-arm seamer was a net bowler for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) this year. Koushik is no starter to SMAT, having played a vital role in Karnataka winning back-to-back titles in 2018/19 and 2019/20 with 17 and 11 wickets, respectively.

He will look to help Karnataka return to title-winning ways in this season's SMAT and make IPL franchises notice his bowling prowess.

#3 SS Bachhav - Maharashtra

Bachhav has become a T20 specialist thanks to his exploits at SMAT.

Periniel Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy star SS Bachhav will look to continue his impressive performance for Maharashtra this season. The left-arm spinner boasts sensational T20 numbers, with 62 wickets in 46 games at an average of 18.14 and an economy rate of under 6.50 runs per over.

The 30-year-old was the joint-seventh leading wicket-taker in the previous SMAT season, with 14 scalps in seven games at a staggering average of 11.85 and a miserly economy rate of 5.30.

Bachhav was Maharashtra's leading wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare and Ranji Trophy in 2018/19. In the same season, he completed an incredible triple by finishing on top of the wicket-takers char with 20 dismissals in 12 games.

His remarkable consistency, with an uncanny knack for picking up wickets in the T20 format, should continue in the current SMAT season, making it impossible for the IPL franchises to ignore the spinner.

#4 Atal Bihari-Rai - Uttar Pradesh

Bihari took the UP T20 League by storm this year.

The recent UP T20 League threw several names for IPL franchises to take notice, but none bigger than medium-pacer Atal Bihari-Rai.

With little to no domestic experience, the 24-year-old was the standout bowler in the UP league, finishing with 25 wickets in 11 games at an average of 12.80. He also achieved the rare feat of picking up a six-wicket haul against Lucknow and eventually helped Kashi Rudras clinch the title in the inaugural season.

In a league boasting players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kartik Tyagi, Bihari-Rai was an astonishing nine wickets clear of second-placed Yash Garg as far as wicket-taking went.

With only two first-class games under his belt, the surprise element in his bowling could add to his and Uttar Pradesh's advantage in the SMAT season. If the 24-year-old can continue his red-hot form displayed in the UP League, an IPL contact could be in the reckoning.

#5 Vaisakh Chandran - Kerala

Chandran had a dream debut domestic season with the ball.

Perhaps a dark-horse bowler for the SMAT season is off-spinner Vaisakh Chandran, who debuted for Kerala in all formats last season. In his maiden SMAT season, the 27-year-old showed no sign of nerves, leading Kerala with the ball, picking up 12 wickets in seven games.

Chandran boasted numbers bowlers dream of in any tournament, let alone on their debut, with an average of 11.58 and an economy rate of under 5.80 runs per over. With the ability to bowl even in the powerplay, his exploits propelled Kerala to second in Group C on the points table a year ago.

The Trivandrum-born office also showed plenty of promise in the previous Ranji season, with 20 wickets in only five games, including a five-wicket haul on debut. An impressive second season in SMAT could go a long way in Chandran staking a claim for selection to several IPL franchises looking out for versatile spinners.